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Theory of change

Action #1

Objective #1

Action #2

Action #3

Assumptions

Assumptions

Assumptions

Milestones

Interim
outcome

Interim
outcome

Evaluation

Orchestrating the pieces

EVALUATION

Evaluation vs. measurement
Two key changes to the practice of evaluation are:

> the shift away from accounting for a transaction (eg ROI) to negotiating a common understanding of the values to pay attention to, and

> evaluation becomes a means of learning in action, and so, a driver of change.

Newer evaluative practices pay attention to: 

  • context, cultures, behaviours and attitudes

  • collective and co-design of the values to be assessed

  • sensory ways of gaining insight

  • iterative flows and the use of prototypes as ways to concentrate the analysis

  • learning through evaluation as an ongoing process, which in turn drives the next iteration

  • shifting from a deficit to a strengths based view of a situation

  • unexpected insights

Theory of change

A Theory of Change is a plan of action in order to accomplish certain, pre-defined outcomes.

The format emerged in the 90s, specifically around not-for-profit, international development and public sector organisations. 

  • A ToC works as a way to concentrate attention of the stakeholders on what they consider to be essential outcomes of a funded project, as well as laying out the moves for the participants to make along the route to achieving these outcomes.
     

  • It also works as a way to communicate the change that is proposed to all stakeholders.

A2 IMPLEMENTATION MODEL

The aim of the Implementation Model is to create a format that helps you to plot out your change process / identify the moving parts / tell the story of what you want to accomplish / and give evidence of what you know about delivering change.

This will be different for each of you. However, it shares some common themes:

  • the ethos of your change process

  • a focus on HCD as innovation and use design as the basis for change

  • the way you put the moving pieces together

  • ​​how you orchestrate change

  • ​how you learn and respond as you go

  • how you set the conditions for assessing impact at the outset

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Requirements

  • Your name and the Case name

  • Executive summary: Overview of key findings and innovations from your implementation model

  • Case overview: Analysis and synthesis of the case and identification of prominent opportunities, obstacles, resistances, and constraints that you see being crucial to address for the success of your proposal (based on A1)

  • Implementation focus: A statement on the ethos of your approach. That is, a mission statement or question for the project

  • Implementation model: The full model for implementing the change process, including the components that you identify as crucial to the success of the project; the proposed approach and methods and rationale; the means you will use to engage stakeholders and those impacted by the change; who will deliver the changes and how; key requirements for success or critical risks to success and possible mitigations.

  • Innovations in the change process: Speculating on the innovations in the process your propose and new ways of managing change from a human-centred design perspective that will enhance the outcome, including a rationale on why you believe this to be the case

  • Phases of implementation: Proposed sequence of phases for the process, including showing where evaluation will be embedded into the change process and ongoing as the project evolves

  • A list of works referenced using Harvard style referencing

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